Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo made his decision before the game on Oct. 8 against the Boston Celtics. This would be a chance to ramp up certain starters, but he also wanted to rest some players.

Four players rested, in addition to the injured ones already out. As a result, Memphis wasn’t a match against the Celtics.

Boston jumped out to a strong start and never took its foot off the gas, and Memphis dropped its second preseason game 121-103 at FedExForum.

Jaylen Wells led the Grizzlies with 21 points. Cedric Coward added 15 points and Santi Aldama had 12; both had six rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

New Grizzlies lineup

Memphis threw out a different lineup in its second preseason game. Aldama and Wells were the lone holdovers. Ty Jerome, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jock Landale didn’t play.

Coward, Javon Small and Lawson Lovering started in their places.

The Celtics, in their first preseason game, had a new-look lineup as well, but there were notable names included. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White started, and both took advantage of a rather inexperienced Grizzlies starting group.

White finished with 16 points and 10 assists, while Brown scored 21 points in one half of game action.

Wells showing signs of growth

Taking injuries out of the equation, Wells was the lone projected starter to play against Boston. He stood out with his defensive effort and his overall offensive progression.

Not only did he knock down three 3-pointers, he was 6-for-7 on free throws and added three assists. He looked comfortable dribbling inside the arc, probing and seeking good shots.

Memphis will need Wells to maintain this type of aggressiveness at an efficient level when Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are back in the lineup after recovering from their injuries.

Cedric Coward stats

Coward suited up for his second game of preseason action. It didn’t take long for the No. 11 overall pick to throw down a two-handed dunk in the first two minutes of game action. He displayed his feel for the game when he cut to the basket and got an easy two points.

However, that was his only basket until with 5:47 left in the fourth quarter. Coward did make four free throws between those baskets.

Like many Grizzlies players, Coward’s offensive game is currently more reliant on the ability of his teammates to create scoring opportunities for him. Most of the primary creators were out, so he didn’t get many scoring looks early in the game.

Coward woke up in the fourth quarter and had his best stretch of play. After scoring six points total through three quarters, he finished the night with 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

What’s next

The Grizzlies will get two days of rest before their next game against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 11. This will be the Grizzlies’ final preseason home game. They’ll go on the road for two contests before returning to FedExForum.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.